Perforating machine



Feb.- 1, 1938. D. J. oLDENBooM PERFORATING MACHNE F'led Jan. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l .5 s o z MWOOV@ l INVENroR.

Feb. '1, 1938. D. J. oLDENBooM PERFORATING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1535 1 44 MINIMUM BY v ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PERFORATING MACHINE Derk J. Oldenboom, Endicott, N. Y., assigner to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 16, 1935, Serial No. 1,991

4 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in perforating machines.

More particularly, this invention relates to perforating machines such as used in connection with perforation of cards used in the well known Hollerith system of accounting in which perforations are made on a card at selected index points, which are differentially located with respect to each other. Such a punch is shown in the Hollerith patent No. 682,197 issued September 10, 1901, which is designed to perforate the well known Hollerith card. In a punch of this type, each time a column is perforated the card carriage automatically steps ahead to present the next column for perforation. This method of operation is satisfactory whenever a regular prearranged form of perforating is to be used, particularly wherein all the information is punched on the card at one punching operation, which method largely predominates. There are however many instances of statistical analysis where information is acquired from time to time which must be perforated on cards which have already been perforated in many columns. An example l of this type of analysis is used in hospitals and sanitariums where case histories of the individual patients are kept on cards. Codes are used for the variousv diseases and inrmties that are encountered and these codes are punched on the individual patients card in accordance with whatever malady the patient is afflicted with.

The columns to be perforated thereforev may vary considerably with each succeeding card, there being many columns in each card in which perforations are entirely omitted in which no two succeeding cards will require the same columns to be passed with no perforations. It is essential therefore that the machine for perforating these cards must be flexible for quickly locating the card at' the proper column with ease and accuracy to be sure that when located the index points on the card will be in proper alignment with the punches.

It is an object of this invention to provide a perforating device in which the object to be perforated may be moved quickly to any position to be perforated.

Another object is to provide mechanism for locking the card into positive position in alignment with the punches. y

A still further object is to provide locking mechanism for locking the machine against punching until the card is positively located for the punching operation.

Still another object is to provide Ya locking mechanism to render the perforating mechanism inoperative while the card carriage :is being moved.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also constitutes certain new and novel features of the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal section showing the punching and locating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed cross section showing the locating and locking mechanism.

A base I is provided with a trough-like runway II of proper width to receive a card which may be moved longitudinally of the base. A slot I2 is provided in the base which runs its entire length and in which runs the card carrier. The card carrier comprises two end pieces I3 and I4 which are connected to a bar I5. The distance between the end pieces is substantially the length of the card to be perforated. A small spring pressed member I6 is provided on the end-piece I3 to hold the card snugly against the end-piece I4 and thus hold it in fixed position. The bar I5 is provided with rollers II running on tracks I3 which are cut into the bar I9 fixed to the base of the machine. The end-piece I3 is connected to the bar I by a member 20 on which is mounted a handle 2| for the purpose of manually sliding the card carrier back and forth by virtue of the rollers I'I and the roller 22 which rests on the base of the machine. The handle 2l is provided with a plunger 23 which is biased upwardly by a spring 24. The lower end of the plunger terminates adjacent the bottom of the slot I2 and is adapted to cooperate with apertures 25 located in spaced relation to each other along the bottom of the slot I2. Adjacent these apertures on the underside of the bed plate opposite to the plunger 23 is a bail 26 extending longitudinally of the machine in line with the centers of all the apertures and for a distance covering the length of travel of the endplece I3. A

This bail is supported at each end of an arm 21 xed to a shaft 28 which is journaled in the supporting webs 29 of the base ID. Fixed to one end of the shaft 23 is an arm 30 which is biased in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Fig. 3 by a spring 3|. The upper end of said arm is bifurcated and engages a pin 32 (Fig. 2) xed to a comb 33 having slotted ends engaging a T-shaped member 34 mounted on the side frame of the key supporting structure 3,5 so that comb 33 is slidable back and forth transversely of the perforating de- Vice.

The perforator is provided with the usual wellknown arrangement of punching mechanism such as shown in the previously mentioned Hollerith Patent No. 682,197 in which a series of punches 36 are slidably mounted in a frame member 31 and are biased upwardly by springs 38 so that their upper ends abut a lever 39 which is fulcrumed at Aone end against an adjustable fulcrum 40. The

levers 39 are held from side sway by a slotted plate in which each lever is positioned by aslot.

The levers are of diierent length and terminate Y within the key supporting structure in staggered relationship. The ends of the'levers are bifurcated and engage a flat milled notch on the shafts 4I which are provided with keys 42 at their upper end suitably labeled with index num- Vbers corresponding to the index numbers on the card to be perforated. The levers 39are held upwardly by virtue of the springs 38. Y Y

Directly beneath the punches 36 and spaced therefrom a distance equal to the thickness of the material to be perforated is a die plate 43 provided with a die to receive each punch.

The comb 33 is provided with a seriesV of upwardly' extending teeth 44 which terminate `di- Y rectly underneath the levers 39 andthe width of solid portion of the levers 39 to lock them up so Y Ythat the keys 42 cannot be depressed. When the comb is moved to the right the teeth are then located underneath the slots 45 which clear the teeth so asto permit the levers 39A to be de-V pressed downwardly by their respective keys thereby thrustingV the corresponding punch 36 into its die to eiiect a perforating operation.

Attached tothe bar I9 Vare brackets 46 which support an index holder" adapted to receive an enlarged reproduction of a portion of the card to be perforated. The reproduction is substantially twice the size of the card to be perforated to facilitate the quick location of the card into the selected position.

Mounted on the member 20 is an arm 48 which is attached to an endless chain 49 running on sprockets 50 rotatably mounted on studs fixed to a bar 5| mounted on the brackets 46.

VThe left hand sprocket 50 as viewed in Fig. V1 is fixed to a sprocket 5.2 of 'substantially twice its diameter. An endless chain 53 engages this sprocket and is supported on its opposite end by a Vsimilar sprocket 54. VAn index pointer 55 is mounted on this chain and cooperates with the index mounted inthe holder 41. Thus, due to the two-to-one ratio oi?` the sprockets the index pointers wil move twice the distance of the card carriage, sincethe movement of the card car-V riage carries the chain 49 with it rotatingthe sprockets 59 and therefore the sprocket 52 which moves the index pointer along the edge ofthe index card. 'A l 4 Y i In operating the machine, the operator places a card in the card carrier which is placed at the Y left position of its travel 4to receive the card, he then moves the carriage to the'right until the index pointer V points on the facsimile index the Ycolumn which'corresponds tothe column. of

the card he desires to perforate. He. then depresses'the plunger 23 with his left'handcausing the lower end of the plunger to enter'the aperture 25 corresponding to the column which he is aboutV to perforate. 'I'his definitely locates the column of the card under the row of punches 3.6

and the end of the plunger 23 strikes the bail 26 deiiecting it downwardly and turning the shaft 28 in a clockwise direction, thereby turning the arm 39 clockwise about its'supporting axis and moving the comb 33 to the right so that the teeth 44v now lie under the slots 45 so that the operator may select the key he desires.

responding lever 39 clockwise about its fulcrum 49 pressing its associated punch downwardly and through the 5 index point position in the selected column of the card to perforate the same.

The punches 36 are located transversely of the If for example the Y Y number'i5'key is depressed, it will rock its corwhereby a column of ythe card will be located corn rectly under the row of punches.

While Vthe fundamentalv novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification has been shown and described and pointed out it Vwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without de-V parting from the spirit of the invention. I intend to be limited therefore only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

Whatr I `claim isr K K l. In a perforating machine, a base, a punch support mounted on said base, a series of punches mounted in said support, means for operating said punches, a card carrier slidablev alongsaid base to carry a card to the punches, manual means for freelyY sliding said card Vcarrier back andr'forth and a device for inhibiting operation Yof the punches while the card carrier isrbeing manually moved in either'direction;

, 2. In a perforatlng machine, a base, a series of punches supported Vb y said base, meansV for operating Asaid punches, a'locking device for normally inhibiting operation of said punch operate ing means and manually operated common means for rendering all of said locking'device ineffective,`

to inhibitrthe operation of said punches.

3. In a/perforating machine, a basava series 'of punches supported by said base, aseries of depressiblelevers for operating said punches, a slidable member adjacent said levers normally porsitioned to prevent the depression of Vsaid levers and means to slide said memberV to'another position whereby said levers may be depressed; l

4. A perforating machine Vhaving a VSeries of punches supported onra base, Ydepressible levers for operating said punches, a ,slidable member` adjacent said levers for lockingthem in inoperative'positioma bail connected with said slidable member, a card carrier slidable Yalong Ysaid Abase to carry a card to the punches, and a depressible member mounted on said card carrier and adjacent saidbail for moving vsaid slidable member out of locking position. n DERK J. OLDENBOOM, 

